Story by Nancy Andersen
A TEXAS “HUMP“ PILOT BUILDS AN AVIATION LEGACY NEAL AIRCRAFT - 75 YEARS IN AVIATION In 1945 Roy Neal joined the U. S. Army Air Corps 4th Ferry Group flying 48 missions in the China-Burma-India theatre during April15, 1945 - July 18,1945. Roy had been chasing his dreams of aviation and now he was flying on a daily basis in an aircraft that was not built to fly the missions he was carrying out, flying supplies at an altitude unheard of for a C-47. Neal Aircraft has proudly been serving the aviation industry for 75 years. Family patriarch, Roy Neal began working in aviation on January 1, 1946, in the city of Lubbock, Texas as a Piper dealer for the West Texas region – Wes-Tex Aircraft.
THE FORMATIVE YEARS Roy Neal was born in Philadelphia on March 1917, as a young child his family moved to Plainview, Texas. He was a young man who was always seeking adventure and was curious by nature. At a young age he began building his legacy. Rumor has it that when he graduated from Plainview High in 1923 the sheriff was kindly awaiting him for a personal escort; as he walked across the stage from receiving AF 56 | aerialfiremag.com
his diploma and officially graduating from Plainview High, the sheriff escorted him out of town, telling him “now that you have completed your education it would be best if you left town.” To this day, the family keeps that secret tucked away in a vault. Heeding that advice, Roy and his good friend decided to head for the sun and fun of Florida. His friend, having family in Florida, hitchhiked across the southern part of the U.S. with a log of bologna to eat on the trip. They decided to grab a bus the last few miles to Miami. After all, they didn’t want to look like a bunch of vagabonds. It would look much better if they called his friend’s aunt to pick them up from the bus stop. They were fortunate enough to quickly find work on a banana boat. Always an adventure seeker, this job fulfilled their desire to travel and provided them money for their daily needs. The boat disembarked from Miami and sailed to Cuba, there they loaded the boat with bananas and brought them to Miami. Roy was able to make three, of these two week long trips before he decided he was homesick and it was time to come back to Texas. ➤
